Border Guard East

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Grenzschutz Ost is the collective name for the German military associations ( Freikorps , volunteer associations, self-protection of Upper Silesia, etc.) set up after the end of the First World War in 1918/19 , which until the definitive border was drawn up to protect the eastern border or eastern areas of the German Reich in particular should take over the newly founded Poland . The following situations were threatening:

The East Border Guard formed part of the Provisional Reichswehr and was divided into the Army High Command North based in Bartenstein / East Prussia and South based in Breslau . Operational management was carried out by the Supreme Army Command (OHL), whose headquarters had been in Kolberg since February 1919 . In addition, a “Central Border Guard East” (Zegrost) was set up at the Prussian War Ministry , which was responsible for organizational issues.

Supreme Army Command
HQ: Kolberg / Pomerania
Chief of the OHL: GFM Paul von Hindenburg
First Quartermaster General: GL Wilhelm Groener
Central Border Guard East
Headquarters: Berlin
Chief of Staff: Maj. Friedrich Wilhelm Freiherr von Willisen
AOK Nord
HQ: Bartenstein / East Prussia
Commander-in-Chief: GdI Ferdinand von Quast
Chief of Staff: GM Hans von Seeckt / Obst. Wilhelm Heye 		AOK Süd
HQ: Breslau / Silesia
Commander-in-Chief: GdI Kurt von dem Borne
Chief of Staff: GM Fritz von Loßberg

Ahead of the German signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty in June 1919. existed within the Border Guard East plans to refuse to withdraw from the disputed areas or even regain conquered by Poland, if necessary at the cost of a temporary removal of the Prussian eastern provinces of the kingdom (cf.. Eastern state Plan ). These plans collapsed after both the Reich government and the OHL spoke out against it. In connection with the formation of the transitional army of 200,000 men on October 1, 1919, many associations were officially dissolved, as was the "Kolberg command post" and the two high army commands that still existed after the OHL was dissolved. Nevertheless, the Reichswehr stuck to the concept of border protection and maintained structures for the rapid mobilization of emergency services in the event of a Polish or Soviet Russian advance on German territory. This Black Reichswehr was made up of military associations , to which the SA also belonged at times . Numerous former members of the Eastern Border Guard joined the Free Corps in the Baltic States (see Baltic States ).

The state protection directive was issued in 1929.

Until 1939, protecting the border in the east was an essential task of the Reichswehr or the later Wehrmacht , which organized numerous simulation games and map exercises.

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